Thread: Fishing small for big fish...period

Well in the spring and fall for me all I use are 1/32 Oz Roadrunner and some Pony heads and long line trolling with one rod in hand. All I do every spring is troll until I catch one and note the depth I was in at the time. Then I spend the rest of the day trolling back and forth trying to keep my boat in the depth I caught that first one in. I control my speed to about .4 MPH and max of say .8 MPH. This way the jig never gets very deep, but they will come up to get it. Anytime I ever posted fish pics from spring fishing they were caught this way. I have been doing this since the late 1970's and works for me. I also am sure you could use a 1/48 and do just as well, but a 1/16 probably too heavy for a lot of what I do where I do it, which is usually around and over Hydrilla or around stump fields.

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These I caught off the bank trying out this Popeye 1/32 Oz jig. Just dead stick!


Trolling...just a few days picks!


Then couple weeks later!

I use a lot of small jigs fishing for everything from largemouth and smallmouth to crappie and catfish.
My go to is a 1/500 oz jig/fly with a really small float from thill usually a mini stealth. Lately I don't go much above
1/32 unless wind n depth dictate. I do a lot of 1/100 and maybe 1/64. Lately I've been using squid to tip my jigs, it lasts a long time.

A few months back I had a bite going that was as good as it gets without a guide to show you how. It started out by jigging a 1/8 and a BGBS body and that worked a little while and as the sun came up the bite changed and the 1/8 didn't produce any more. Not to be the one to give up. I dug around and came up with something close and a slower fall. The bite was back, for a while. Long story short, by the time a few weeks had gone by, I was down to 2lb line, 1/64 jigs and 1 1/4 " bodies. And it was on like donkey kong!! Some of these fish pushed 2lbs and the little jigs had #8 sickle hooks. I used a short cast and let it pendulum down but a lot of those fish were caught just deadsticking the jig straight down and talking with someone close by. Wind was a big factor and sensitive rods and line made all the difference in the world. That light a jig hardly gives any thump at all so you have to be on your game. I used some handties also that fell super slow that made the day on several occasions. I now have 6 ultralight rods set up with 2lb and they will always be in my boat.

I use all sizes, depending on the season, the type of water, and the fish's preference. In the winter, one of my best rigs has been to use a 1/16 or 1/32 on the bottom, and a 1/80 on the top. The 1/80 gets most of the hits. I would use it by itself, but it takes a long time for the 1/80 to sink to the strike depth. I don't use a dropper loop, rather a longer separate leader tied to the main line with a blood knot. The larger jig will sink to the desired depth faster than the 1/80, leaving the the 1/80 to sink verrrry slowly after the heavier jig has stopped, drawing more strikes. If there is no strike on the drop, I raise the jigs slowly, then drop back quickly.
If that doesn't work, I just swim the jigs. Whenever one thing doesn't work, I'll try another technique and/or another bait or color.